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Not too long ago, the only information you needed for a successful airline flight was the airline’s takeoff and landing times. You would subtract an hour from the earlier time to know when to arrive at the airport, and then you would add an hour to the later time to figure out when you’d leave baggage claim. Today’s crowded skies and frequent flight delays require constant tracking of your airline’s activity, just so you can catch your flight.

Step 1

Go to the search box on Google's home page, and type in the airline name and flight number. Click “Search” to display the current departure and arrival time at the top of the search results list.

Step 2

Browse a free online tracker, such as FlightAware.com, for more flight information. Enter the airline name and flight number, and then click “Track Commercial Flight.” A map shows the airplane’s current location while a status box, displays the departure and arrival times, altitude, speed and duration. You can also enter the airplane’s tail number to track noncommercial flights or show activity at a location by typing the city name or airport code. You can find a list of airport codes at World-Airport-Codes.com.

Step 3

Download and install a free mobile phone application, such as Flight View, for BlackBerry or iPhone devices. This application provides the mapping and status information of an online flight tracker. However, it can also integrate flight schedules with the phone’s calendar and push through information if the plane is more than 15 minutes late, even if the application isn’t running.

Step 4

Download and install a commercial flight tracker, such as Flight Explorer, which is available in several editions and requires a subscription. The Personal Edition not only tracks several flights at the same time but displays landmark overlays, congestion, airport information and sun position. The Professional Edition, designed for aircraft professionals, supports weather overlays, situational alerts and predictive weather. Free demos are available at the Web site. Run the application to display a map with airplane icons showing the position of any tracked flights. Click the “Zoom In” button or draw a small rectangle around an area to enlarge it. Right-click on an icon to attach a flight information label, to show the route history and to predict the flight path.

Tip

In a pinch, you can contact the airline directly. Doing so by phone may force you to wait in a queue but lets you ask questions about any delays. Attempting to track a flight through the airline Web site may only reveal minimal detail, such as departure and arrival times.

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About the Author

Aurelio Locsin has been writing professionally since 1982. He published his first book in 1996 and is a frequent contributor to many online publications, specializing in consumer, business and technical topics. Locsin holds a Bachelor of Arts in scientific and technical communications from the University of Washington.

Leaf Group is a USA TODAY content partner providing general travel information. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.